Freddie Sears reveals all in candid Q&A as he talks abuse at The Den and why it didn't work out for him at West Ham United

Who's your boyhood sporting hero? Paolo Di Canio. Especially me being over at West Ham and seeing him week in, week out. It was the passion and the way he connected with the crowd. I used to sit in the Centenary …

After the self-obsession and volatility of both Poyet and Paolo di Canio, this much more measured, reassuring approach has come as a welcome relief to players and club officials. Advocaat’s challenge now is to …

School kids re-enact some of football's most infamous moments in series of hilarious pictures

The youngsters portrayed some of the most notorious incidents in the sport's history, including Paolo Di Canio's push on referee Paul Alcock, Diego Maradona's Hand of God and Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final …

A foreigner’s curse: Why Di Maria was never meant to wear a Manchester United shirt

Didier Drogba did it at Chelsea, as did Gianfranco Zola before him. Paolo Di Canio lit up the league during his time in England, while Thierry Henry is one of if not Arsenal’s best player of all time. For United fans …

The 24-year-old striker is now the only U.S. national team attacker playing in one of Europe's top four leagues.

It's in complete contrast to the bombastic Paolo Di Canio, who brought Altidore to Sunderland in 2013 and was fired just one month into the American striker's debut season with the club. After two miserable seasons at …

For Sunderland, enough is enough - this season must be a turning point

To that end he has abandoned the experiments with rookie top-flight coaches – after Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet both failed on Wearside – and has instead put his faith in the experienced Advocaat, pulling out all …

And certainly, Sunderland’s outlook is healthier than two years ago when Cattermole was an outcast under former boss Paolo Di Canio, and ill-equipped recruits were brought in. “In terms of the team, I think this is …

Memories of that, until now, linger only in Sky’s daytime TV re-runs of the Premiership years, where the likes of Paolo Di Canio once entertained the gathered crowds of E17. Before the padlocks bolt away the Boleyn …

Best Premier League celebrations: Samuel Eto'o, Wayne Rooney and more #PLmoments

For better or for worse, Premier League legend Paolo Di Canio has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Di Canio’s emotions were again on show for the Sunderland fans’ entertainment during his first - and last - …